What exactly does it mean to be part of a community? It means feeling like you are a part of something that makes a whole. It means contributing to something others can relate to. Luckily for me, my sense of community is strong. I am born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas and if someone were to ask me who I am, the first thing that comes to my mind is Texan. Yes, I take that very seriously. Being a Texan is something that people think of as the southern hick stereotype. For example, I grew up going to summer camp in Missouri and every year without fail I would be asked, “Oh you’re from Texas? Does that mean you ride your horse to school?” No, I drive a car because there are roads in Texas!
When people think of Texas, they usually imagine deserts and horses and not much else. However, if non-Texans listen to “My Texas” by Josh Abbot Band, it is obvious that Texas has much more to it than cowboys. Josh Abbot Band lists events and destinations that a true Texan should complete within their lifetime. One could say that real Texas pride can be determined by the amount of things you can check off from Josh Abbot Band’s list. I can say for myself that I have successfully completed 16 items off the Texas bucket list. Some of these include, “floating down the ole Rio, been to the Houston rodeo, sang ‘Carry On’ at a Pat Green show, seen an Abilene sunset, [and] been somewhere where they call you friend” (Josh Abbot Band). I encourage anyone who doesn’t completely understand what it means to be a Texan to listen to this song and give me your feedback.
Being a Texan makes you feel like you belong to an exclusive group. No one truly understands Texas until they live there. That being said, the majority of people within the United States are naïve as to what being a Texan is all about. Each person’s identity belongs in his or her specific city, county or suburb within Texas, but all of these areas make up one big state of mind. Part of my identity belongs to Fort Worth. No, not Dallas, not Dallas-Fort Worth but just Fort Worth. If you listen closely to Josh Abbot, you will notice that Dallas is not mentioned. That is a whole different story.
Claudia, this is a great and relatable post. I can totally relate to how you feel because every time I go out of the state people say the same to me about the Texas stereotypes. “My Texas” is the perfect song for this post. It is such an accurate representation of what Texas is. Great job!
Claudia, what a great post! Way to give good-ol’ Josh Abbott some credit for portraying Texas correctly. I find your post very relatable as well. I am not a born Texan, but I have grown up here and like to call Texas, specifically Austin, my home. When I go back to Arizona to visit old friends and family, I also hear those similar stereotypes of Texas brought up. “Where is your horse that you ride to school?” “What? You go on the lake a lot? There’s water in Texas?” While I do match some of the stereotypes associated with Texas, such as using “y’all” a lot and owning a family ranch with horses and what-not, I find it funny to hear what people outside the Texas borders think of Texas. This song is a great reference to those that have no clue what Texas is about so props to you for reminding us that Josh Abbott offers a great bucket list to some of the great things Texas has to offer.